J. H. Roman Anna Paradiso
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J. H. ROMAN THE 12 KEYBOARD SONATAS Nos 8–12 ANNA PARADISO ANNA PARADISO BIS-2135 BIS-2135_f-b.indd 1 2015-06-18 15:24 Roman did not provide any titles for the pieces in this collection, and consequently they have been referred to both as ‘suites’ and as ‘sonatas’. Guided by the observation by Ingmar Bengtsson – an authority on Roman – that on several occasions the composer used the term ‘Sonata’ for pieces of a similar character, we have used this title on the present recording. Likewise, Roman never mentioned any specific keyboard instrument for which these works may have been intended. I alternate between a French- and an Italian-style harpsi - chord in order to exploit different sound possibilities. But there is also a great clavichord tradition in Sweden, and I have therefore chosen to perform two of the sonatas on that instrument, more precisely on a copy after Philip Jakob Specken, quite possibly of a model that Roman himself owned. I would like to extend my warm thanks to keyboard-maker Dan Johansson for the kind loan of this fine instrument. My performance is based on a close reading of the one manuscript in Roman’s hand containing these pieces, with the help of some modern editions and with some corrections applied both to the primary and to the secondary sources. Anna Paradiso Sonatas VII and XII Neapolitan harpsichord by Masao Kimura (2012) after Onofrio Guarracino (c. 1650) Sonata IX; Sonata in C major; Johan Agrell: Sonata II French harpsichord by François Paul Ciocca (2008) after Nicolas & François Blanchet (1730) Sonatas X and XI Clavichord by Dan Johansson (1997) after Philip Jakob Specken (1743) Sonatas I–VII (BeRI 225–231) are available on BIS-2095 2 ROMAN, Johan Helmich (1694–1758) Sonata VIII in A major 14'29 16 Lento poco 1'50 BeRI 232 17 […] 3'04 1 Commodo 6'54 2 Lento 4'00 Sonata XII in E minor 7'30 3 Vivace 3'08 BeRI 236 4 Scozzese. Vivace 0'24 18 Allegro 3'04 19 […] 0'58 Sonata IX in D minor 7'31 20 […] 3'28 BeRI 233 Sonata in C major 11'41 5 […] 2'03 BeRI 215 6 Adagio 1'06 21 [ ] 3'32 7 […] 2'12 … 22 2'28 8 Lento 2'04 Larghetto 23 […] 5'39 Sonata X in B minor 10'12 BeRI 234 AGRELL, Johan (1701–65) 9 Adagio 2'45 10 2'40 Come alla breve Sonata II in C major 14'15 11 […] 0'31 24 Allegro assai 3'19 12 […] 2'10 25 Andante 4'13 13 Tempo di Minuetta 2'04 26 Presto 1'42 27 2'28 Sonata XI in F minor 9'36 Minuetto I & II 28 2'30 BeRI 235 Polonese 14 […] 1'28 15 […] 3'11 TT: 76'34 Anna Paradiso harpsichord/clavichord 3 ohan Helmich Roman hasn’t yet been accorded the position that he deserves in Sweden, even less so in the history of music. Granted, he is regarded as ‘the father of Swedish music’ Jbut his importance as a composer has always been seen in relation to what he contributed to the musical development of Sweden. To my mind, this approach risks undermining his stature, which is that of a great composer, Swedish or otherwise. It is also interesting that the influence of the Neapolitan school of baroque music on Roman has been largely overlooked by musicolo - gists and musicians. The reason for this is possibly that few of those who have performed and studied Roman in the past have been familiar with Neapolitan baroque music. After the unifica- tion of Italy in 1861, Naples, from having been one of the musical capitals of Europe, became just a peripheral city, robbed of its heritage. Only in recent years the Neapolitan school has been rehabilitated as one of the most important in Europe in the 17th century. It is therefore no surprise that Roman’s stay in Naples in 1736 was an enormous source of inspiration. The strong connection of Roman to Naples also becomes clear when we think of how Roman was continuously engaged in promoting music by Neapolitan composers in Sweden. He once declared that composers such as Leonardo Leo, Domenico Sarri and Farinelli were among the greatest masters in Europe. The restlessness of the harmonic idiom, the continuous shifts from one melodic gesture to another, the absence of long and balanced phrases, the theatrical character in much of Roman’s music: all of this is reminiscent of the Neapolitan school – a style that became even more present in the last two decades of Roman’s life, when most of the keyboard sonatas seem to have been composed. To this one must add the personal genius of Roman, for instance in the remarkable way he introduces florid rhythmic elements, often difficult to perform at the requested tempo. At times the dramatic pathos of these pages seems to anti cipate the ‘Sturm und Drang’ move ment! What I had heard in Sweden about Roman’s keyboard compositions was that ‘some of them were nice but many others were boring’. This is a judgement with which I must disagree com - pletely, since I think that every single movement of these sonatas is a wonderful little jewel! I do see one problem with the interpretation of Roman’s music, however: it is indeed a very distinctive idiom that may be uncomfortable for someone not used to the Neapolitan style or to Roman’s music. As a performer, I have to immerse myself in his volatility, in his asym metric phrases, all his rapid changes of costume. The use of rubato to emphasize the phrasing and the rhetorical 4 inten tions of the composer is, in my opinion, essential to this dramatic way of presenting the musical material. My performances of Roman’s keyboard music also often include added ornaments and chords and, in some cases, a substantial degree of improvisation. The practice of embellishing and impro vising around the melodic line is of course nothing new in the historical performance prac tice of baroque music. Considering the ornaments Roman himself suggested for Corelli’s violin sonatas – ornaments often extremely rich and weird to the ears of a modern musician – I could perhaps have gone even further! I nevertheless believe that this is the first time these sonatas have been approached in this way. One might say that these pieces are composed in a style that is sometimes rather straight- forward. It seems very likely that he wrote several of the sonatas after 1740, perhaps even after 1746, when he had gone into retirement at Lilla Haraldsmåla, his humble country farm. In this second volume, as well as sonatas VIII–XII, I include Roman’s only other surviving complete sonata for keyboard, according to the musicologist Ingmar Bengtsson, an authority on Roman. Composed in 1728, this agreeable sonata in C major shows an earlier stage of Roman’s style, already deeply influenced by the Italians but lacking the rhythmic and sometimes daring har monic ‘experiments’ which seem to have interested him increasingly during his later years. These are most in evidence in the last keyboard sonatas, for instance in the Adagio of Sonata IX and in the second movement of Sonata XII. As in volume 1, I often find that the clavichord, with its incredible variety of dynamic nuance, reveals itself as the ideal complement to the harpsichord in this repertoire. Added to this disc as a ‘bonus’, Johan Agrell’s sonata shows the exquisite talent of yet an- other relatively little-known Swedish composer. Possibly a student of Roman, Agrell (1701–65) toured across Europe as a virtuoso harpsichordist. He worked as a court musician in Kassel and, during the last twenty years of his life, as Kapellmeister in Nuremberg. As indicated by the elegant prints of his works, published in Germany and elsewhere, he was highly esteemed during his lifetime, but nevertheless entertained unfulfilled dreams of being summoned back to Sweden by the King, who however already had a harpsichord player of his own in Henrik Philip Johnsen. Agrell’s sonatas belong to the late baroque period and are, like those of Roman, consistently inspired by the Neapolitan style and a theatrical approach. Compared with Roman, he employs 5 structures that are more symmetrical, however, and his virtuosity is motoric rather than based on irregular rhythms. I find the music highly enjoyable, but, again, it is a repertoire that requires a performance style that can capture the sudden changes of mood and mask as they occur. As with volume 1, I hope this recording will focus more attention and enthusiasm on these Swedish composers in their home country and abroad and also, perhaps, a greater interest among non-Italian musicologists and musicians in the immensely vital role played by the Neapolitan school for generations of European composers. Anna Paradiso Johan Helmich Roman – Life and Works If we consider the history of Swedish music in a long-term perspective, and construct a bridge in time between the Middle Ages and the present, the first half of the eighteenth century stands out as a watershed. It was not just that the country had lost its position as a major European political power as a consequence of King Charles XII’s long and unsuccessful wars (1700–1721), and could finally enjoy a longed-for peace. In 1718, the accession of Ulrika Eleonora the Younger and her consort Frederick I reset the Swedish constitutional clock – from absolute monarchy to the Age of Liberty (Frihetstiden), when political power was transferred from the monarch to parliament.